How much does a DAC do the more expensive it is?


Having spun an Oppo 105 for many years on its own before adding a Schiit Gungnir (bought for a generous steal from a wonderful seller here), I was immediately struck with how much more presence and detail the Schiit added to the Oppo's presentation. 

That Gungnir, even new, pales in comparison pricewise with 4 and 5 figure DACs I see for sale here.

So what do those much more expensive DACS do for sound? I mean, how much more information can be dug out of the digital files? Is it akin to what a good phono stage can do for a cartridge?

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Showing 3 responses by ghdprentice

DACs are like every other component. The higher quality the better it sounds… almost as far as the eye (ear) can see (hear). I own a Gungnir that I use for my office system. It is a great budget DAC… but it is not remotely capable of the sound quality of high end DACs… Audio Research, Berkeley, dCS… etc. 

 

But on the other hand, the streamer in front and preamp / amp / speakers need to be equally capable to take full advantage of it.

OP,

The price of units is a good proxy for quality as in, “it is generally positively correlated”, particularly as the price rises. Not true in mid-fi. For experienced audiophiles the words “if carefully researched and well chosen” captures what most of us mean if using price as a proxy for quality. You have to, make sure that what you are buying has the flavor you want and is compatible with your system. But within that context, in general the more you pay the better will be the sound quality. So, it is worth mentioning, because folks new to,high end audio might think that price without thought will get you there… and that is a recipe for disappointment.

Lots of upstarts trying to break in to the market may release new stuff that sounds really great on several dimensions… but may not meet the mark on several others. Companies that have been at this for decades understand sound quality to an incredible depth and produce components with great depth and nuance across all the variables. They carefully price their stuff competitively. Companies like VAC, Conrad Johnson, Pass, Audio Research, Linn, Boulder, dCS… etc., they have depth and value, and their prices, while high reflect true value. Not flash in the pan stuff.

@charles1dad …”I would also prefer the natural sound presentation over the hyper detailed type of presentation.”

+1

I completely agree. First that there are a lot of components with different ultimate sound goals… and consequently sound very different. Hyper detailed system unless really high quality can be accompanied by a high noise floor and distortion, higher level ones eliminate these, but frequently do not sound natural.

Second, I prefer natural sound (highly detailed… but in natural perspective) to details at all cost or accentuated chest caving bass, or super fast transients that create a cool effect, but do not sound like real music.